The Foundation of a Great Manufacturing Case Study: The Right Story

What’s better for business than a magazine or online story talking about how good your product is? There’s nothing like the power of a good story. You know, one that tells how your product saved the day for a customer! Problem-solving testimonials are powerful marketing tools and strong lead generators.

However, each story, or case study, is unique. Some are particularly strong and show remarkable gains made by using your product. Others are less impactful. Selecting the wrong story can mean wasted time and money. So choosing the right case study is vital to success.

In a series of upcoming articles, I’ll outline what creates a great story that can become a focal point of your marketing campaign— PR, advertising and more. A story that gets used.

First and foremost is story selection.

The Right Story

A product’s sales can number into the hundreds or thousands or more. Obviously some of those sales are better candidates for case studies than others. How do you identify a potentially great case study? In a series of ways.

A Happy Customer

It seems obvious, but it’s sometimes overlooked. Your customer must be exceedingly happy with your product. Not somewhat happy. Not occasionally happy. But truly thrilled with your product. The quality of the story is directly correlated to the customer’s reaction to your product. A lukewarm customer is no place to begin a case study. More on this in another article.

Solving a Problem

Second, in B2B, many products solve a manufacturing or an end-use problem. The more significant the solution, the stronger the case study. For example, a company’s product may take significant time and labor to produce. By using your product, the manufacturer may save time, labor, headaches or a combination therein. The more challenges your product overcomes, or the more significant the challenge, the stronger your case study.

Consistency

Third, a great case study is consistent. In other words, your product makes a permanent difference for the manufacturer, rather than an occasional difference—your product becomes an integral part of their system. Or, if it’s only used occasionally, it provides consistent, dramatic savings—or help—when needed.

If you have a client who is consistently happy with your problem-solving product, you may have a great case study. My next blog will offer more criteria for a riveting story. This will include timing, trends and location. I hope you’ll join me.

 (Margie’s firm, Simon & Associates Public Relations www.simonspr.com specializes in award-winning case studies. Simon’s case studies have become the focal point for many a client’s marketing campaign, and have helped clients achieve double-digit sales growth.)